Born on 8th February 1985, Mayanti Langer is one name that has been a pioneer who raised the standard of women in sports journalism in India. It wasn’t that sports journalism in India had never involved women, but the ones involved probably had no face to represent themselves. The millions-sized audiences were used to see the familiar faces of Harsha Bhogle, Alan Wilkins, Charu Sharma, and a few more males to go along. A woman was nowhere to be seen on the national television hosting pre-match and post-match shows to give insights about any game to the audience. Mayanti Langer changed the scenario to a great extent. Now, be it the Indian Premier League or Indian Super League, sports fans in India are used to see Mayanti Langer donning the mic and interviewing players from the sidelines through the course of the match. Her beauty and grace have now got her enough fans to make her probably the top Indian female sports anchor. It wasn’t that easy though and she too, just like every other successful personality, had to grind her way through all the struggles that came her way. Not just for the fact that she is one of the very few females in the sports journalism sector, but because of her love for the game, her story is one which every Indian sports fan deserves to know.

Personal Details

Full Name: Mayanti Langer Binny

Height: 5’6″ (168cm)

Weight: 65 kg

Nickname: Maya

Father’s Name: Lt. General Sanjiv Langer

Mother’s Name: Preminda Langer

Date of Birth: 08 February, 1985

Place of Birth: Delhi, India

Residence: Mumbai, India

Husband: Stuart Binny (married 2012)

Siblings: Avalok Langer (Elder Brother)

Net Worth: ~1 million USD/6 Crore INR

Early Life

Mayanti Langer was born into a family of army men in Delhi, India on February 8 1985. Her parents, father Lt. General Sanjiv Langer and mother Preminda Langer, were glad to have a baby girl and pampered her more than their baby boy, Avalok. Mayanti and her family soon moved to the United States where she started her schooling. She was used to live in a very disciplined manner as her father had the strictness of an army man and her mother, being a teacher, kept correcting her, whenever and wherever she went wrong. She had a great influence on her of her maternal grandparents as well, Lt. General Rajinder Nath Batra and Priyo Batra. Ever since she started her schooling in the United States, she started finding her passion to lie with sports, especially football. She played football for her college team and excelled immediately. After returning to India, she joined the Super Soccer Academy in Delhi to keep up with her love for football. With her childhood now fading away, she was now more inclined towards being a fashion designer. She got herself admitted to the Hindu College affiliated to the University of Delhi. However, despite her change in ambition, she couldn’t get rid of her love for football. It was in 2006 when she experimented with being a sports anchor and went on to host FIFA Beach Football. After enjoying her experience in that short little stint, she decided to make sports journalism her field of excellence.

Career

Mayanti Langer’s little experiment of anchoring FIFA Beach Football had triggered something sensational. Something that nobody could or probably would have ever expected. Her role as a sports anchor for the FIFA Beach Football instantly caught the eyes of many sports broadcasters around the world, especially in her homeland, India. It was Zee Sports who first invited her to work along with them. She debuted for them with Football Cafe, where she worked as a host and Associate Producer. She continued her fabulous start with a couple more football shows. The number of football shows associated with Mayanti Langer kept piling up. In fact, Mayanti started becoming a part of almost every football show or programme that was to be broadcasted on the Zee Sports network. She received high praises for hosting the Nehru Cup held at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. She started off with covering Seria A and Bundesliga games and had no idea whatsoever about Indian Football. Before she got Football Cafe, her acid test, as she states, was the Federation Cup in Goa, where she was asked to cover 16 days of Indian Football nonstop. She delivered, and how! Her performance was what prompted Zee Sports to award her with her own football show.

With football not viewed by the Indian majority, Mayanti Langer knew she’ll one day have to step it up. Up came the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and so did Mayanti Langer in Cricket. From there began Mayanti’s astonishing journey as an anchor for cricket shows. ICL being a rebel league strictly opposed by BCCI, Mayanti knew she had to give her best to make the most of this short lived opportunity. She did so and by the time ICL got wrapped up, she was good enough to get hired by ESPN for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. 2010 turned out to be her year as she went on to host Commonwealth Games held in Delhi alongside Charu Sharma. After that, her career graph only kept hitting new peaks with every passing week. She joined hands with Star India to anchor India’s 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup triumph. He worked with Ten Sports network as well when she anchored their post and pre match shows for the India Tour of South Africa Test Series. She began hosting the Indian Super League as well and managed to connect with the audiences pretty well. Post that, it was time for Mayanti to step up on the most glamorous stage Indian Sports has probably witnessed, the Indian Premier League. She began anchoring Indian Premier League alongside the top commentators from across the globe and became an instant hit nationwide. She hosted a long list of other sports as well including the Indian Badminton League.

Relationship With Stuart Bunny

With her career reaching new heights everyday, Mayanti Langer began interviewing almost every other sport star of the India. Stuart Binny had just arrived to the international arena. His all-round performances had given him some limelight to work with. That limelight meant Mayanti Langer was handed the job of interviewing him. Mayanti’s knowledge of the game and of course her mesmerising looks had Binny falling for her. Binny’s love for her meant that Mayanti too could do nothing but accept the he had to offer her. The two started dating soon and after six months of sharing all the good moments, they decided to tie the knot. Stuart Binny failed to taste any success though on the international stage and criticism arrived for both of them. Stuart Binny was criticised for failing to live up to his father’s name, and Mayanti Langer for sticking with an unsuccessful man despite being one of the most successful woman sports journalism ever witnessed. However, the two have managed to shrug all the criticism off and are still as good a couple as they always have been. An year back, Mayanti Langer was supposed to interview Stuart Binny for a show, and she blushed adorably on air to show how much love the two have shared in their six years of togetherness.

Style Icon

Mayanti Langer was the first sports anchor Indian media had ever witnessed. Her drop gorgeous looks coupled with an ever lasting mesmerising smile kept stealing hearts of many sports fans in India and wherever the broadcast reached. She was very particular of what she wears and became a style icon very soon. She gained a lot of popularity while hosting the Indian Premier League and Indian Super League and her dead accurate dressing brought her accolades from the fashion industry as well. Many started following her immaculate dressing sense and made her one of country’s most followed style icon. Be it the sarees or the stylish western suits, Mayanti Langer nailed every dress she wore while anchoring the n number of shows she anchored to perfection.

Other Interests

Sports always Mayanti Langer’s first love. However, as time progressed, Mayanti developed an interest for arts and designing as she grew up. It is because of this love for arts that Mayanti Langer remains actively connected to her followers on social media. She enjoys the beautiful art on offer to explore on social media. She aptly shuts up all internet trolls with her witty replies and keeps her presence on social media continued despite all the negative comments for her. Mayanti Langer has a special love for She, along with her husband Stuart Binny, often visit Binny’s father’s farmhouse near jungles in Bandipur. Both of them love wildlife. Mayanti Langer has actively been involved in charity works as well. She is often seen visiting many slum sports clubs to anchor many social events for them. A true gem in every sense of the word, Mayanti Langer is one woman who surely has won the heart of almost every Indian. For many more years to come, we wish Mayanti Langer keeps reaching new heights and keeps raising the bar for women in sports journalism.